HTTP vs SDK

Once you have decided to build a connector, you will find yourself deciding between using the HTTP connector or Workato SDK. Please note that the Workato SDK is for developers. If you are not a developer, HTTP connector is your best bet.

The question that follows immediately is, how are they different? This document aims to describe the differences and help with deciding between the best approach to enhancing your Workato recipes.

Authentication

APIs use a wide variety of authentication mechanisms. Some as simple as basic (username/password pair) and some more complex like OAuth 2.0.

	HTTP	SDK
OAuth 2.0	Yes	Yes
Basic auth	Yes	Yes
Plain API key/token	Yes	Yes
Digest auth	No	Yes
Multi-step auth	No	Yes

Data types

	HTTP	SDK
JSON on REST	Yes	Yes
XML on REST	Yes	Yes
URL encoded Form	Yes	Yes
Multipart form	Yes	Yes
Binary	Yes	Yes

Capabilities

	HTTP	SDK
Trigger closure	No	Yes
Updated record trigger	Not always	Yes
Webhook + poll trigger	No	Yes
Data transformation	No	Yes
Data pre/post processing	No	Yes
Pagination	No	Yes
While loop	Yes	Yes
For loop	Yes	Yes

Others

	HTTP	SDK
Sharing	Yes	Yes
Clone and Run Recipes	Yes	No
Reusable (cross recipe)	No	Yes
Manual webhook	Yes	Yes
Auto webhook	Troublesome	Yes